By N.D. Prashant
Defending champion and World No 1 Amr Shabana of Egypt rallied from a one game deficit to beat Thierry Lincou of France 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 to setup the title clash with compatriot Karim Darwish in the Qatar Classic Squash tournament, being held at the Khalifa Squash Complex yesterday.
Darwish, too, confirmed his place in the final with a comeback victory over England's Nick Matthew 9-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-6.
The 32-yr-old veteran Lincou, who defeated World Open Champion Ramy Ashour of Egypt in a tense battle on Wednesday, kept up the tempo right from the start.
His swift moves and aggressive approach was rewarded early in the first game and even before the World No 1 Shabana could get his acts together, the latter was trailing by a game.
"I didn't expect him to come that hard, especially after the long match he played en route to the semis. I was caught a bit napping," agreed Shabana after the match.
The World No 1, however got going in the second game and despite Lincou putting up a brave fight, lost the contest 11-7.
Shabana engaged Lincou in long rallies and even tried out lot of lobs to keep control over the game, which eventually paid off. "I was getting a bit tired and wanted to get him away from the front. Yes, the lobs worked perfectly against him. It was a useful weapon," revealed Shabana.
"He (Lincou) was pressing really hard and didn't want to succumb that easy. And when he is in such a mood, it is always difficult to win. He was really hungry."
Lincou went on to lose the next two games and eventually the match, but said that, he had not finished yet. Though it is an all Egyptian affair in the finals today, an absorbing encounter is on cards, revealed Shabana.
"He (Karim) is a fierce competitor and I have high regards for him. He will come hard at me. It will be a keen contest and if he wins, I will definitely be happy for him. It will be interesting for sure." |
